Lighthouses of China: Matsu and Kinmen

In 1949, the collapse of Nationalist forces in mainland China led to a new governmental separation between Taiwan and the mainland, with the Nationalist government (the Republic of China) on Taiwan and the Communist government (the People's Republic of China) on the mainland. This separation continues to the present day. After leaving the mainland, Nationalist forces remained in occupation of two groups of strategically placed islands close to the mainland coast opposite Taiwan. The Matsu Islands lie off the mainland port of Fuzhou, and the Kinmen Islands lie off the port of Xiamen (formerly called Amoy). Kinmen is called Chinmen on the mainland, and Westerners formerly knew it as Quemoy.

Matsu and Kinmen continue to be governed from Taiwan, but both Chinese governments recognize these islands as being part of the mainland province of Fujian (Fukien) and not part of Taiwan province. For many years the islands were on the front lines of the Cold War, but tensions have relaxed. Outside the military bases, Matsu and Kinmen are open to tourism, including tourists from the mainland.

Historically, lighthouses in Taiwan were operated by the Department of Maritime Affairs within the Directorate General of Customs. In September 2009, it was announced that the lighthouse adminsitration had been transferred to the Ministry of Transportation and Communication. In Chinese, jiao or chiao is a cape, dao, tao, yu, or hsu is an island, and kang is a harbor. Due to competing systems for transliterating Chinese into Latin characters, there are always several possible spellings for the names of places in China. In 2009, the Republic of China government adopted the Pinyin system also used in the People's Republic, so the two governments are no longer in disagreement on this matter. However, older spellings from other systems remain in common use.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume F of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112.

General Sources
DCG Lighthouse Distribution
Posted by the Directorate General of Customs, this interactive page links to pages on the individual lighthouses. All text in Chinese.


Dongjyu Light, May 2009
Creative Commons photo by WunKai Wang

Matsu Islands Lighthouses
** Dongyin (Tungyin Tao)
1902. Active; focal plane 97 m (318 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. Approx. 15 m (49 ft) round cylindrical brick tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white, lantern dome black. This is a staffed station. WunKai Wang's photo is at right, Yueh Hua Lee has an excellent photo, and a 2007 photo is available, and Google has an indistinct satellite view of the station. This historic lighthouse was built by British engineers for the Chinese Imperial government. It was repaired after being badly damaged by Typhoon Alice in September 1967. The lighthouse is built on a cliff and is accessed by a steep staircase descending from the keeper's house. Dongyin is the northeasternmost island of the Matsu group, located about 50 km (30 mi) from the Chinese mainland. The island is accessible by air and by ferry from Keelung. Located on the northeastern tip of the island. Site open, tower open on Sundays and certain Chinese holidays. ARLHS TAI-034; Admiralty F3644; NGA 19090.
** Dongjyu (Tungchu Tao)
1872. Active; focal plane 78 m (256 ft); three white flashes, in a 1+2 pattern, every 20 s. 19.5 m (64 ft) round cylindrical granite tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white, lantern dome black. 2nd order clamshell Fresnel lens in use. This is a staffed station. WunKai Wang's photo is above, DCG has a page for the station, Klaus Huelse has a postage stamp image, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Amy Chang's June 2007 photo shows the lighthouse surrounded by scaffolding, probably for repainting. Built by British engineers Robert Hart and David M. Henderson, this classic lighthouse guided ships to Fuzhou, which was one of the ports opened to Western trade following the end of the Second Opium War in 1860. Dongjyu lies about 25 km (15 mi) off the entrance to Fuzhou. The island has a permanent population of about 200 and is accessible several times a day by passenger ferry from the larger island of Nangan. However, there are no overnight accommodations for visitors, and much of the island is occupied by military installations. Located on the northeastern point of the island, which is also the highest point. Site open, tower open on Sundays and certain Chinese holidays. ARLHS TAI-032; Admiralty F3634; NGA 19132.

Dongyin Light, May 2009
Creative Commons photo by WunKai Wang

Kinmen (Chinmen, Quemoy) Islands Lighthouses
Note: The two lighthouse islands of Beiding and Dongding were demilitarized in 2004, although Wuciou continues to be a military base.
Wuciou (Wuchiu, Wuchio Yu, Wuchin Hsu, Ockseu)
1874. Active; focal plane 87 m (285 ft); white flash every 5 s. 19.5 m (64 ft) round cylindrical stone tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted black. This is a staffed station. A photo is at right, a closeup is available, and Google has a satellite view. Wuciou (Wuchiu) is one of two small islands about 25 km (15 mi) off the mainland coast roughly halfway between Matsu and Kinmen. The island has no permanent residents but is heavily fortified. The lighthouse is on the highest point of the island. Site and tower closed (military area). ARLHS TAI-035; Admiralty F3628; NGA 19124.
Beiding (Peiting Yu, Peiting Tao)
1882. Active; focal plane 36 m (118 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 18 m (56 ft) round brick tower with gallery, painted white. The lantern was destroyed in World War II and was not replaced. This is a staffed station. A closeup photo is available, the Taichung Customs Office has a small photo (pdf file, second page), and Google has a satellite view. Beiding is a small island about 3 km (2 mi) off the eastern tip of Kinmen. Accessible only by boat; there may be distant views from the mainland of Kinmen. Site status unknown. ARLHS TAI-021; Admiralty F3620; NGA 19176.
Dongding (Tungting Tao, Tungting Hsu, Chapel Island)
1871. Active; focal plane 69 m (226 ft); white flash every 10 s. 19 m (62 ft) round brick tower with lantern and gallery, painted black. This is a staffed station. A photo and an evening photo is available, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. The lighthouse survived World War II, but it had to be repaired in 1964 after being damaged by artillery bombardment from the mainland. Dongding is a small island about 13 km (8 mi) off the mainland coast and 25 km (15 mi) south southwest of Kinmen. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS TAI-033; Admiralty F3606; NGA 19196.

Wuciou Light, May 2009
anonymous Panoramio Creative Commons photo

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Northern Fujian | East: Taiwan | South: Southern Fujian

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Posted September 11, 2007. Checked and revised August 15, 2011. Lighthouses: 5. Site copyright 2011 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.